In one of the most protected and biodiverse areas of the Amazon rainforest, levels of toxic mercury have been released by poorly monitored and illegal small-scale gold mines.
There is a deforested area of the Amazon jungle caused by illegal mining activities.
Researchers from institutions in the United States, Canada and Peru found high levels of mercury in the trees and feathers of songbirds, which can lead to impaired singing and navigation ability, reduced reproductive ability and increased chance of death.
In places with full forest canopy, soil and tree leaves retained more mercury than in deforested areas.
The background mercury concentration in the atmosphere near some Amazon mining sites was similar to or higher than in urban and industrial areas in the United States, China and South Korea.
In 2016 40% of people in 97 villages in the Madre de Dios region were tested and found to have dangerously high levels of mercury.
Small-scale gold mining should be regulated to make sure it doesn't happen in national reserves and the surrounding buffer zones.
The world's largest source of mercury pollution is small-scale gold mining.
Small-scale gold miners use mercury to get gold particles from the soil. After the mercury and gold combine, the gold is taken out by Vaporizing the mercury. The element enters the atmosphere and is passed up the food chain to other organisms, which can include predatory fish like shark, swordfish and king mackerel. Mercury can cause brain damage, birth defects and other disorders if it's eaten in sufficient quantities. In February of this year, the president of the country announced he was suspending civil liberties and sending 1,500 police and military officers to Madre de Dios to crack down on illegal gold mining. Over 1,000 hectares of land in the Peruvian Amazon have still been cut down since the government launched a campaign against illegal gold mining.
There are alarming levels of Mercury in the old growth Amazon forest.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
